Motivating Students
This subject is very important to me because if you can keep your student interested and motivated in the area learning, they will become more interested and do more participation in the associations and organizations for the nation and the state for their knowledge of their own subject and more.
Student motivaton is the first important step for their future success, for their ability to oprehend, learn the subject I teach,and that encouragement they recieve to become motivated.
Hi Alnita,
Good to hear about your excitement for your subject area. Many instructors don't bring this kind of excitement to the classroom and then they wonder why the students aren't engaged.
Gary
I show enthusiam in the classroom and when lecturing I am very excited about the topic. My excitement and enthusiam inturns gets the student engaged and they are more inclinded to participate.
Motivating students is so essential to success in and outside of the classroom. In the class that I teach, I have students complete a service-learning project. At first students are intimidated by the project. But, as they progress with the project, they often are amazed at what they have accomplished. I could go on and on about the benefits of service-learning. But, in regards to motivation, it creates excitement about learning about subject matter outside the classroom experience. The class that I teach is also a required class for all students and tends to get a "bad rap", but another way that I motivate students is by being excited about the subject material myself and by leading by example. I don't just tell students to give back to the community by doing service-learning, I also am involved in the community so that I can share the benefits with students.
Hi Christina,
Thanks for sharing these great examples of how you are making a core subject applicable to their everyday lives. This helps them to see relevancy which leads to application which leads to retention. This is a win win for everyone.
Gary
In my opinion, it is motivation that drives us (as an individual) forward. Think about the word alone, for a moment. Motivation. Why do we work? To earn money. Why do we earn money? To pay bills, buy suplies/food, and enjoy entertainment. Why do we need to buy food, pay rent, purchase clothes? So we can live. Why do we want to live? Because it is better than the alternative: death. Everything we do is because we want something and that something motivates us to do whatever it takes (within our limits) to get that something. Right now I want a full time teaching job. So my motivation is that job, but what I do is look online for hiring positions, calling around, and keeping my eyes and ears open for any other opportunities. In the classroom, my students are self motivated to succeed in class so that they can get the degree they are aiming for. I am sure that I also have some students whose motivation is "Get through this class so I do not have to take it again!" I teach mathematics and it can be a complicated subject. Especially since the math I teach is the basics. I mention fractions and I see heads flying back, hear moans and groans from others. (Mind you, I do teach adults, and not teenagers.) Fractions are a part of our lives in today's world. I mention cooking/baking and they see fractions there. Working with wrenches in a tool shed, the sizes are in fractions. I ask the students about their experiences with fractions and where they see fractions. This opens them up to the idea of fractions and, I hope, helps them get more motivated to learn more about fractions. I try this trick with any part of my subject that gets heads to turn and moans to sound. I use a real world expierence and then ask my students for examples. Once we see how these math items can be used in the real world, I see motivation begining to occur. I like it!
Hi John,
So true. There are always those one or two that present a challenge to us in terms of motivation. It is fun to try and find out what will get them excited about learning the content. I have found that the more I can personalize it for them the more they will become involved in the course and before they know it they are learning, even when they didn't plan to. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I agree that most students are self motivated there will always be that one or two in each class that just do what they have to do to get by because they don't want to be there or were pushed into the class and that is where we must work to find the thing that gets them moving whether it be making more money or the prestige of a new job title.
most students are self motivated
I agree with all about motivating our students. I feel that bringing in a positive attitue in class encourage the student's to participate more an help the shy students open up. Student's need to know that you are approachable and will not discourage them if their answers are incorrect. How important do you think an instructor's attitude have when we are trying to motivate them?
i agree strongly with the hands-on approach. i find that exploring class content through hands-on metaphors and/or examples is an effective way to not only help the students understand the definitions of concepts, but also the "why" and "how" of the concepts. it also gets them to interact with each other in a way that builds confidence and further discussion of class material.
I agree with this approach in class. As I go through my lectures I insert what I call "Think About It" slides. These slides ask questions about how the concepts and ideas being covered in the lecture influence a student's daily or work life. Just asking one of these questions can the students involved in a subject that could other wise be dry and boring.
Dear Melissa,
The way a motivate students is to let them talk about the subject and listen to their questions and opinions,they enjoy the class better when they feel like they are the ones doing the work you are just giving them the push they need to improve their skills.For the shy students I like to work with them one-on one, makes them feel more comfortable.
Lisa Samaniego.
Hello everyone,
In my opinion motivating students is very important,I like for the students to show interest in the course therefore I am always looking for new ways of teaching to keep them focus and interested in the subject, being creative is a fun way and hands-on is another way to keep the students motivated.
That is my opinion.
Lisa Samaniego
Gary,
Thank you for your suggestion. Guest Speakers have spoken to my classes and the Director of Careers Services, also, gives a presentation on interviewing, stressing the importance of communication skills. In addition, Career Services and I have joined forces in requiring students to do mock interviews, as a class requirement. These strategies work for the students that attend classes; however, it does not reach the students who are not attending class and who are eventually dropped by the registrar, due to missing more than the allotted six classes.
If a student attends class, I am usually successful in reaching them. The big problem is reaching the students who do not attend class and ignore attempts at contacting them. I often contact their advisor to advise them of the problem and ask for their assistance. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't.
Janet
Hi Janet,
I agree with your assessment of many of our students today. To help my students to see how important good communication skills are I bring in people from the field to talk with them about career success. I have these speakers show how effective communication, both oral and written are career makers just as the lack of these skills can be career breakers. This has been very effective in getting students to see it is not a requirement that I have for the course but is a needed set of skills.
Gary
I am beginning my 17th years of teaching communication, and I am noticing a decrease in the motivation to be an effective oral communicator, critical listener and critical thinker. In my teaching, I try to show the correlation between success in life and these skills. Some students do begin to understand the importance of effective communication, critical listening and critical thinking, while others seem to believe that they have been able to get this far without them, so why try. Another factor is some students may realize their importance but are afraid to start learning them because it is a challenge and some students are afraid or do not want to be challenged. Do you have any suggestions on how you can motivate these "hard core" believers that believe effective oral communication, critical listening and critical thinking are not important or simply do not want the learning challenge?
Hi Melissa,
One of the ways of bringing all students into the class is through learning groups. Assign each group a project to work on and then make a presentation about. Have the students make the presentation as a panel. By having 3-4 students sitting at the front of the class it reduces the stress on each individual student but yet involves them. Also when students are sitting down behind a table they don't feel so exposed. This works well for the shy students.
Offer a variety of instructional deliveries, projects, and activities throughout each class session and you will be able to keep the students engaged and forward focused.
Gary
Hi Lisa,
This is such an important point. If students can see how important connection with their professional associations and other national organizations in their career development they have more success in their career search and options.
Gary
